How to choose a driver (FAQ)

When it comes to IT projects, middleware often gets overlooked. But middleware is not there just to make the connection. The spectrum of which driver to choose is quite big, databases and applications come with native drivers, you can download an open source driver, or you can choose a third party vendor such as us. When choosing a driver, you should consider the following:

performance

security

ease of deployment

how much of your time you are willing to spend to troubleshoot it.

We have put together a few FAQ to consider which driver (or connector) you need.

Do I need JDBC or ODBC driver?

Which API does your application have? If your application is written in Java, it will have JDBC API. If in C++ or some other programming languages, it may well be ODBC.

Let’s say your application is written in Java, but you only have an ODBC driver, you should look at alternatives, such as Sequelink, which would create a JDBC-ODBC bridge between the JDBC API and ODBC driver.

I need (insert name of application) driver, where to find it?

So you know your application has an ODBC API. Now, you need the driver according to your data source = database. In fact, in the world of middleware, it does not matter what your application is as long as you know its API. It is the database you are trying to connect to. Even if you have two databases

For example, you are trying to fetch data from Salesforce to Oracle via Oracle Database Gateway, you will need actually Salesforce driver, not the Oracle one because in this case Salesforce is your data source.

Similar case would be fetching data from Salesforce to SQL server via SSIS or Linked Server. Again, you would need a Salesforce driver.

Of course once you know what driver you are looking for, it is good to mention the application as well as we have lots of quick start guides as well as tutorials for JDBC and ODBC to save you time with the setup.

Do I need 32bit or 64bit ODBC driver?

It does not matter if you are looking for the JDBC driver. However, it does when looking at ODBC. It depends on the application, not the platform. So let’s say you have MS Access (most cases 32bit) that will connect to Oracle on Windows 64bit. You need the 32bit ODBC driver.

It may be you have 64bit application, but you have only 32bit ODBC driver for your data source – this is a special case where you should be looking at Sequelink.

Which platform is relevant when using an ODBC Driver?

Again, this depends on what platform your application is installed on.

Do I need server or workstation license?

The driver will be installed where your application is, so the real question is, is your application workstation based on server based?

Is my data source supported?

Check our support matrix for ODBC or JDBC to see if your database and version is supported. In the case of ODBC don’t forget to check you are looking at the right driver - 32bit or 64bit on the correct platform.

What’s the difference between Connect driver and Connect XE driver?

If you made it to our download page, you see that our drivers (ODBC or JDBC) are in two groups, Connect and Connect XE. You need to pick one that mentions your data source.

What do you expect from your driver?

The question to ask is what do you expect from your driver? Progress DataDirect is not just a driver. Do you need better performance? Or ease of deployment? Or technical support? Or you want to use different security features such as encryption, Kerberos, SSL etc.? Or simply have a heterogeneous environment and need to support various database versions? Or trust a Company in business 25 years who's sole purpose is dealing with data connectivity? Then you are probably better off with Progress DataDirect.

Now, if you know what you are looking for, you can download your trial version here.

Any questions? Contact us, ask us here or at Twitter @DataDirect_News. We are always happy to help you.

Progress, Telerik, and certain product names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Progress Software Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. See Trademarks for appropriate markings.